


The Rebel and The Bear

by Skippyin, TFLatte



Series: Tales of the Stateran Forest (Monster AU) [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, How Monsters Are Made Verse, Monster!AU, its real cute yall, sort of a beauty and the beast thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skippyin/pseuds/Skippyin, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFLatte/pseuds/TFLatte
Summary: Julia Waxman grew up hearing horror stories of the Stateran Forest. Tales of man-eating beasts and unspeakable evils dwelling just beyond the trees, waiting eagerly for any mortal foolish enough to wander into the wood. She ventures into its dark depths on a mission and makes a new story.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Takes place before the events of How Monsters Are Made. Definitely suggest reading that first so you get a handle on this good good AU.





	1. Fairy Tale Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> HEY YALL ITS SKIPPY YOUR MEME QUEEN AND FLUFF FRIEND WITH A GOOD PREQUEL BACKSTORY TO THE MAIN MONSTER AU STORY.  
> And while my writing may not be as good as TFLatte's, I hope it's just as fluffy and adorable as hers.
> 
> Our stars for today's fic is Julia and Magnus, because they make me cry and burst with love. And this story covers how they met in the AU. Now I don't know how much of Magnus' Backstory we'll be covering in the main fic; so, for now, I'm keeping this to a one-shot. Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> If you're new to this AU. Then you probably want to read the story "How Monsters Are Made" first, which can be found here: <http://archiveofourown.org/works/11529411/chapters/25881348>  
> It's really cute and really good and its good Angus Found Family Content. 10/10 highly recommend good for your soul.

Julia’s thick boots crunched through the brush of the forest floor. It was mid summer and it was horribly hot. Even here, in the Stateran Forest, nature seemed to take its natural course despite it rumored to be a strange and magical place. She had yet to see what made it strange and magical though, which disappointed her a bit. So far the only strange thing about it was the size of the trees, they were absolutely massive.

She patted a trunk with a gloved hand, admiring how thick it seemed. Whatever was in this forest was definitely keeping these trees healthy and strong, and she wondered if the wood cutting ax she had brought with her would be strong enough to do the job.

Things back in Raven’s Roost weren’t going well, what with the Revolution and all. The entire city was in upheaval. Governor Kalen had the city practically on lockdown, he didn’t want any of the rebels to flee. Julia was lucky enough to pass the guard checkpoint at one of the spires without raising any suspicion.

The change in scenery from the crowded city to the peaceful woods was definitely a welcome change of pace. She wasn’t in the most dangerous forest in the world just for sightseeing though. She was there on a mission. The thought reminded her to keep on her toes, and she checked around for any nearby danger; her hand going to rest on the hilt of the sword hanging from her hip. Upon assessing that there was no immediate danger she let herself relax slightly before continuing on through the woods.

It was about midday when Julia’s patience started to run thin. Her search had turned up fruitless so far, and she had begun to get hungry.

Frustrated, the young woman kicked a rock, only to have it ricochet off a root and hit her in the forehead.

“Fuck!” She cursed, rubbing where she’d been struck. That was going to bruise. “Stupid root…” If looks could kill, the offending root would’ve been incinerated by Julia’s stare.

It’s a good thing then that mere looks couldn’t cause such a thing to happen, or else Julia wouldn’t have noticed that the root was glowing slightly through cracks in the bark.

She gasped softly and got down on her hands and knees to brush the loose soil away in order to get a better look at it. Sure enough, there were tiny hairline cracks on the surface, and in the dim light of the forest floor she could just make out a faint green glow. She jumped to her feet and rushed over to the nearest tree, putting her hands on the trunk. It didn’t look or feel any different from the other trees, but maybe…

Julia pulled out her pocket knife and began carving away at the thick bark little by little.

“Please, please, please, please…” She prayed while biting her lip.

After a moment, a green light started emanating from where she had carved away the bark. Julia pumped both arms in the air and cried out in victory. Finally, she found what she’d been looking for.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Julia unhooked her woodcutting ax and got ready to swing. The tree was far too big to carry all the way back, but she should be able to gather enough wood to make several crossbows at least. With that thought, she swung.

 _‘THUNK’_ The head of the ax dug into the bark. Just as Julia predicted, the bark was thick and not giving way easily. She let go of the handle, leaving the ax embedded in the tree for a moment to rub her hands together and get warmed up for the task. When she was ready she pulled it out and started swinging again.

_‘THWACK’_

_‘THWACK’_

_‘THWACK’_

She hacked at it for a solid thirty minutes before she tired out. The heat was killing her, the tree was barely taking any damage from her ax, and she was starving on account of skipping breakfast that morning.

“Okay, break time,” Julia sighed, stuck her ax in the dirt, and collapsed onto the ground. She dug into her backpack, glad that she had packed plenty of food. As she pulled out a wrapped up sandwich her eye caught something stuck to a bush. It looked like a big clump of fur. Curious, Julia got to her feet and went over to investigate. It was summer, she would think the animals would have gotten all their shedding done by now. She looked up and noticed a lot more clumps of fur sticking to the foliage, some snagged on bushes, others up in low hanging tree branches. The birds were certainly loving it, carrying some strands off to build nests.

“Anything shedding this much has to be bald by now.” She poked at a particularly large clump.

Julia followed the trail of fur not feeling worried about getting lost; after all her path was marked with hard to miss “bread crumbs.” The idea of stumbling across some poor bald animal would definitely make a fun story to tell back home.

After a while of walking, she heard a loud groan coming from somewhere up ahead. Could it be the animal that had left behind all the fur? Her curiosity got the best of her and she stood on tiptoe to peek over a large bush.

Julia froze when she saw what was on the other side.

It looked like a battle scarred bear, but it was humanoid shaped, it was wearing pants surprisingly enough, and it was twenty feet tall. The biggest ax Julia had ever seen was stuck in the ground next to it, and her stomach twisted at the thought of how devastating of a weapon it would be against an average person. If this thing was wearing clothes and using tools, then it had some level of intelligence. Julia had heard of the Stateran being full of strange monsters, but this was beyond strange.

The creature let out another loud moan as it scratched its back up against a tree, trying to use it as a backscratcher but failing to get whatever itch was bothering it. It seemed like it was in a bad mood.

Julia decided that it was time to go and find a safer place to gather her materials. She didn’t want to accidentally draw the monster’s attention and wind up as its lunch. She tried to carefully creep away from the bush, but the branch she had been leaning on broke and she fell forward into the foliage with a startled yelp. She gathered herself and realized something had changed. Everything was silent. She held her breath, did the monster hear her? A few minutes passed with no sound.

Thinking the monster had left, Julia poked her head out of the bush.

The monster was staring at her with its mismatched eyes, one deep brown, another smokey white. Its face was so close, she could have reached out and touched its nose if she wanted to.

Julia was frozen stiff, too afraid to make any sudden movements. This was bad. This was very bad. There was no way she could defend herself against this thing. Hell, it would probably use her sword as a toothpick once it was done with her.

The monster opened its mouth and Julia braced herself for what was to come.

“Nice to mag you I’m Meetnus--! Wait! Uh, I mean, Magnus. My name is Magnus.”

Julia was prepared for a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them and she burst out laughing. The bear’s ears twitched and after a moment of stunned silence it smiled and laughed along, showing off a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“Well if you think that’s funny you should hear one of my actual jokes!”

“Julia,” She replied once she was able to stop giggling.

“Huh?”

“My name is Julia Waxman.”

“Julia… Oh! Well, it’s nice to meet you-- I already said that. Uh, do you come here often?”

That startled another giggle out of Julia and she climbed out of the bush, feeling a little more at ease. “No, not really.” She didn’t entirely trust him, but if his first action was to try introducing himself instead of eating her then maybe he was more friendly then he looked.

“...Right, of course, duh,” Magnus sat up and scratched the back of his head “Are - Are you lost?”

“No.” Julia shook her head “I’m just here looking for something.”

Magnus' brows furrowed. “Looking for something?”

“Yeah, I just found it too. Back this way.” Julia pointed at where she had come from and Magnus looked to see where she pointed “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have been the one to leave that furry mess behind, would you?”

“Uhhh… Maybe. Yes.” Julia was pretty sure he was blushing under all that fur. Magnus cleared his throat and asked, “Can I see what you found?”

“Sure. It’s not far.”

Magnus stood up, lifted his ax, and rested it on his shoulder “Lead the way, Julia.”

She led him back to where she had left her own ax and backpack. Julia turned on her heel and motioned to the tree. “I was just trying to chip away at this tree to get some wood.”

“Oh,” Magnus seemed surprised but calmed down from whatever had made him so tense “Why?”

“Look here, see?” She motioned at him to get closer and pointed at where the tree was glowing where she had cut. Magnus got down on his hands and knees and leaned in close enough for his breath to ruffle Julia’s hair. “This tree is saturated in magic. The wood is enchanted! If I had some of that, well… It’d make things at home a lot easier.”

“Huh. Must’ve sucked up the magic from…” Magnus trailed off and gave her a weird look before clearing his throat “Somewhere! I dunno. I’ve just been living in these woods for almost a hundred years, you’d think I know these things, huh?”

“That long?”

“Yup. I’m, uh, sort of one of the guardians of this forest.” He sat up and puffed his chest out with pride.

“Oh. Wow.” Julia blinked in surprise and cast a glance over to the damage she’d done to the tree. “Well, I hope I haven’t done anything to offend.”

“Huh? Oh, the tree? Nah, you don’t have to worry about that. Merle’s the one who’s always fussing over the trees, but me? Pff, no. I’m the fun one.”

“The fun one?” Julia raised an eyebrow.

“Also the strong one, the funny one, the most handsome one.” He counted off on his claws “Pretty much the best monster here.”

Julia giggled “Well you’re the only monster I’ve met, but you certainly seem like the best in my books.”

Magnus’ smiled so hard Julia was pretty sure his face was going to get stuck like that.

“So, what do you want the wood for anyway? Just curious! Since I only ever see treasure hunters and adventurers. Nobody really ever comes by for normal stuff like wood.”

Julia turned around to investigate the tree, her mind trying to work out a better way to cut it down as she talked. “Understandable, seeing as this place is said to be full of vicious monsters. No offense.” She looked over her shoulder sheepishly.

“None taken.”

“I was hoping to use this wood to make some weapons.”

“Weapons?” Magnus looked bewildered.

“I’m a blacksmith back in the city of Raven’s Roost. I was going to use the wood to make some crossbows, arrows, the like.”

“To sell?”

“To use…” Julia sighed and crossed her arms, looking down at the ground “The city is under the rule of a man named Governor Kalen. He's gone mad with power. Over taxing people, suppressing the poor, controlling who leaves and enters the city, basically turning the place into his private cash cow and keeping the wealth to himself. People are starving trying to keep their children fed! Hell, my father has been busting his ass just to afford Kalen’s outrageous taxes so he won’t get thrown into the debtor's prison! So, a bunch of friends and I got together and we started a rebellion against Kalen. We’ve been fighting for our city’s freedom for a few months now but things are going bad fast. Kalen has more men, more equipment, more everything! But then I met a man who had a sword forged from metal found in this forest. It was one of the best I’d ever seen.”

Julia clenched her fists and looked up at Magnus with a hopeful look in her eyes “The crafting materials in this forest are beyond magical, and anybody crazy enough to come here and get them can make amazing items. I figured if I could get my hands on some resources from the Stateran, I could craft weapons we could use to swing things in our favor! We could free our home and make it a wonderful place to live in again.”

Magnus remained silent for a few moments. It seemed he was debating something in his head. He huffed through his nose and got to his feet, getting his ax ready in his hands. “Alright, step back.”

“Huh?”

“Usually I’m supposed to scare people off and keep them away from this forest but, for you, I’ve decided to make an exception. I’m gonna help you.”

Julia - realizing what Magnus was about to do - took several steps away from the tree. She put her arms over her head as Magnus swung the massive ax at the trunk, causing a huge gust of wind and a loud sound of wood splintering. The ground shook as the tree hit the ground; it had been felled in one swing.

She waited till the dust settled to open one of her eyes.

“Wow….” Julia was very impressed. She knew Magnus had said he was the strongest, but this definitely proved his point.

“I can help cut it into smaller pieces, and even carry it all to the edge of the forest for you too!” Magnus beamed at her.

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that.” Julia shook her head. Why would he want to go through all that trouble for her problem? Why would such a powerful creature go out of his way just for one human?

“I want to,” Magnus said still smiling “Julia, I’ve been protecting this forest for a long time. It’s my home! I’d do anything to protect it and my family. You’re going above and beyond to protect your home too, and I want to help you.”

“Magnus…” Julia smiled so hard her face hurt “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Magnus said, “You probably don’t want to stay in this place much longer, so I’ll try to get you out of here quickly.” His ears flattened against his head, despite his smile. He almost seemed disappointed at the thought that Julia would be leaving so soon.

At that moment Julia’s stomach growled and Magnus’ ears perked up again. She blushed and patted her stomach.

“I forgot to eat...” She explained with a sheepish grin and wandered over to her pack “I guess I could stick around a little while longer for lunch. Traveling on an empty stomach wouldn’t be healthy.”

Magnus grinned and sat down cross-legged on the ground, making the area shake a little. He flinched and said, “Sorry.”

Julia pulled her sandwich out from her bag and shook her head “It’s okay, big guy. Are you hungry? I brought a few extra sandwiches just in case.”

“Nah.” Magnus’ stomach decided to growl too; loud enough for Julia to hear. “Okay, a little, but I don’t mind waiting till I get home to eat. My own fault for being unprepared, honestly.”

“Are you sure?” She asked as she took a seat on the ground in front of Magnus with her food.

Magnus just laughed “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Besides, I think it’d take a boat load of those little sandwiches to fill me up. You just eat and I’ll tell you some stories, how about that?”

“I’d love that.” Julia smiled wide up at him and Magnus smiled back with his own toothy grin.

The two sat and talked for what felt like hours. Magnus telling tales of his time as a guardian, and Julia telling a few stories of her own. She didn’t think they were nearly as exciting as Magnus’, but the monster seemed entirely enraptured by what she had to say.

Eventually, though, it came time for Julia to leave. Magnus escorted her to the edge of the forest, talking with her along the way and carrying several pieces of lumber in his arms. He could have carried the whole tree, but there was no way Julia could have carried all that back to Raven’s Roost. She led him to her little cart wagon that she had left hidden in some bushes at the tree line.

“That’s one of those wagons you pull right? No horse?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want to risk it. Poor thing could’ve gotten spooked off, or worse a predator might’ve come along and killed it. So I settled on something I could transport myself.”

Magnus nodded at her logic and carefully filled up Julia’s wagon. When that was done Julia turned to Magnus and held her hand up. It took him a moment to realize what she wanted and he very gently high fived her.

“Thank you so much for your help, Magnus. I don’t know how to repay you for your help.”

“You don’t owe me anything. But, uh, I mean…” Magnus rubbed the back of his neck “If you wanted to come back and visit, maybe get more supplies and stuff for your Revolution it’s totally fine by me. Nothing messes with me so nothing will mess with you while you’re here either.”

Julia giggled as she grabbed the handle of her cart. “Of course nothing messes with you, you are the biggest and strongest, after all, right?”

“Heh, right.”

“As for another visit… We’ll see about that. Leading a band of revolutionaries is kind of time-consuming.”

“Right, right, obviously. Don’t compromise your own safety just to come down to the middle of nowhere.” Magnus rested his ax on his shoulder and waved Julia off “Stay safe!”

And just like that, he was gone.

Julia’s head was buzzing the whole way back to Raven’s Roost. The encounter with Magnus was so bizarre she wasn’t sure if it actually happened. She’s heard stories of people seeing illusions while in the Stateran, but Magnus just seemed so real, so _alive._ His breath had messed up her hair, his steps shook the ground and left deep prints where he strode, and there was no denying that he had cut down the tree. Yet, her experience still felt so impossible. Tales of vicious man-eating beasts, dangerous magical anomalies, death omens, wood spirits, fantastical fae beings, it sounded like something out of a fairy tale and she had spent an afternoon with one of them.

Julia found herself thinking about him again in her workshop. The wood softly glowed in the light of the setting sun coming in through the large window. She idly ran her fingers over one of the crossbow’s limbs, admiring her own work. After a moment of thought, she loaded it with a bolt and pointed it at the stuffed training dummy hanging down from the ceiling.

Julia took aim, fired, and watched as the bolt punched a hole directly through the dummy and hit the back wall. She went slack jawed and stared at the bolt lodged about an inch into the wood. Now that was the kind of firepower she was looking for.

“Thank you, Magnus.” Julia grinned.

She wound up silently thanking him again when that same crossbow saved her life later that week during a surprise raid of one of Kalen’s food stores. Less food for Kalen’s men, more food for the people of Raven’s Roost. Their first real victory in months.

Julia was staring out the window one night as she thought quietly to herself. Living in Raven’s Roost always provided one with a wonderful view. Many people, however, felt intimidated by the knowledge of the Stateran forest lying to the south-east; just a day away on horseback. The idea of it being so close always excited Julia as a little girl. Growing up surrounded by fairy tales and scary stories. The city certainly got plenty of business from adventurers, being the largest settlement so close to such a dangerous place.

Julia looked to the south-east out of her window and recalled that forest. However, she couldn’t recall the horror stories and tales of warning she grew up with. Instead, her thoughts focused on a kind hearted battle-scarred bear who had invited her to come back to visit.

The young woman smiled and thought maybe she’d take him up on that offer.


	2. Middle Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special moments between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long!!!

Upon her second visit to the forest, she had realized how lucky she was the first time around. She hadn’t run into a single monster before (save for Magnus), and she’d thought she wouldn’t run into one again. That was a foolish assumption on her part.

Julia took cover behind a tree as a claw came down and dug deep grooves into the ground where she had been standing. She took a moment to catch her breath; waited for just the right moment…

“Hah!” She jumped out from behind the tree, jabbing her sword out fast enough to catch the manticore in the eye. The beast pulled its head back and cried in pain, taking several steps away from Julia.

The woman turned on her heel and continued running, hoping it would give up the chase and just leave her alone. No such luck it seemed; she heard the flapping of wings overhead. She stopped short just in time to avoid the manticore swooping down to grab her. When she tried to continue running Julia’s foot caught on something and she tripped, her knees and elbows scraped on the dirt. An angry roar drew her gaze upwards to see the manticore already coming back around at her. She realized she wasn’t going to be able to dodge in time, so she braced herself.

Julia was quickly scooped off the ground by something furry, but in a much more gentle fashion than she had been expecting. She got a face full of fur and ears full of growling. She kicked her legs out trying to find purchase somewhere, but only wound up kicking against whatever had lifted her up. It certainly wasn’t the manticore, then what was it?

The sounds of fighting raged on around her; claws on metal, feet scrambling in the dirt, an enraged roar or deep growl. Julia wasn’t sure what had her, but it was certainly giving the manticore a run for its money.

With a final screech, the beast fled. She heard the beat of its wings grow fainter and fainter until finally, the sound was nonexistent.

The creature that held her huffed in an annoyed manner.

“Good riddance,” A familiar voice rumbled around her.

“Magnus?” Her voice was muffled against him.

“The one and only,” She could hear the smile in his tone. He pulled her away from where he had gently pressed her against his abdomen. Magnus’ big toothy grin was a welcome sight after her encounter, but it faded the minute he saw how roughed up she had gotten.

“Are you hurt?” He asked, clearly distressed.

Julia looked down at herself and did a quick once-over. “Just a few bruises and scratches, but nothing serious.”

“There’s a stream not too far from here. We can rest there.” He had lifted her up to eye level, fixing her with big concerned mismatched eyes. It was sort of adorable how worried he was.

“That should be fine, thanks.” Julia nodded and waited for him to put her down so she could get her backpack off the ground. However, to her surprise, Magnus simply lowered her to his chest again and started walking away with her in his hands. Not wanting her bag to get left behind, she reached up and patted him on the chest “Uh, Magnus?”

The bear-monster paused, his ears quirked up in a curious fashion “Yeah?”

Julia leaned over and pointed to her bag on the ground “Before you spirit me away, can I get my bag, big guy?”

He followed her gaze and chuckled nervously “Oh, sorry…” Magnus reached over and gently picked up her backpack by the straps, handing it to her.

Julia took it with thanks, set it on her lap, and started digging through it for her first-aid kit.

Magnus set off again, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground as he went. Julia had her legs dangling over the side of his hand, her back facing his chest. After she found the first aid kit, she set her bag to the side and watched as the forest passed them by. It was surprisingly comfortable, sitting in his hand - or was it a paw because he was a bear man? She wasn’t sure. There were a lot of things she wasn’t sure of when it came to Magnus, other than that he was nice and seemed to genuinely think of her as a friend.

It wasn’t long before they came to the stream, and Magnus set her down gently as if she were a glass figurine. Julia was surprised by how careful he was, one would think such a large monster wouldn’t know such a concept existed.

She sat and got to work tending to her minor injuries. Magnus settled close by and observed her as she worked.

“So, how have you been?” Julia asked, deciding to break the silence “It’s been awhile since we last saw each other.”

“I’ve been doing fine!” Magnus replied, “Nothing exciting has really happened while you were gone.”

Julia flinched as she cleaned out a scrape with disinfectant. “Really? I’d think to live in a forest with manticores would offer excitement every day.”

“Nothing really bothers us here and people are usually too afraid to enter. It’s peaceful for the most part. Not like how it was in the early days.”

“Oh? What were they like then?” Julia quirked an eyebrow at that, looking up from tending to her cuts.

“They were crazy. Every day we were under attack by some group, dragon, or demon. It took a lot of effort to fend them all off.” Magnus didn’t take his eyes off of her. She was pretty sure he didn’t realize he was staring.

“Being a guardian sounds rough. But at least you’re not alone, right? You mentioned you had a family last time I was here. Are they big bears too?” Julia looked up from her work, curious about the other monsters that supposedly lived in the Stateran.

Magnus laughed “No, no, I’m the only bear guy around here. The others are… Well, they’re not my blood family but we might as well be as tight as one. We’re a real rag-tag group of misfits.”

“Funny, I’d describe my friends like that too.” Julia smiled fondly at the thought of her friends and fellow revolutionaries back in Ravens Roost. That reminded her of something she wanted to say “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For the wood you gave me last time I was here. The weapons I crafted from it were able to give us our first real victory in months. More people are joining the cause, things are gaining momentum, luck is finally swinging in our favor and it's all thanks to you, Magnus. So, thank you.” She smiled up at him.

Magnus stared at her for a few moments before replying, “Oh, well, it’s the least I could do. Um, so did you come back to the forest to get more supplies then?”

“No, I came back to find you, actually.”

“Me?” He seemed taken aback by her statement.

“Yep. To be honest I wasn’t sure if I just hallucinated our whole meeting or not. I’ve heard stories about some crazy realistic illusions happening in these woods. I guess I just wanted to make sure you were real...”

Magnus pondered this for a moment before reaching out a hand. He hesitated, seemed to think about something, and then rested it palm up on the ground in front of her. “May I?”

Julia stared at the hand for a moment before nodding. She put her first aid kit away, and carefully climbed into his hand. If her father knew that she was willingly climbing into the palm of a monster, he’d probably have a heart attack. Good thing he wasn’t going to hear of this encounter. Her actions as leader of the rebellion scared him enough, he didn’t need more reasons for his hair to turn grey.

Magnus lifted her up to his chest and said “Here.” As he gently guided her hands to press against him.

It was like touching a living wall of fur as her palms were pressed gently onto him. She could feel a heartbeat, strong and steady underneath all that soft fur. She felt his chest rise and fall as he breathed. He was warm like a furnace and smelled a little like a campfire. Magnus was very real and very alive.

“Huh,” She said combing her fingers through his fur.

“What?” He asked.

“Nothing, it’s just that I thought your fur would feel a lot more bristly. It’s really soft.” Julia pulled her hands away after a moment, despite the fact that she didn’t really want to.

Magnus just laughed and smiled “Yeah, I get that a lot; especially in winter. The others can’t stand the cold and usually come find me to leech warmth off of. My friend Taako wanted to try to shave me so he could make himself a fur coat one time. You can imagine how well that went.”

“Not very good for Taako, I’m guessing.” Julia quirked an eyebrow.

“I sat on him.” He said with a straight face.

Julia laughed, something she didn’t do much of back at home considering things. Before she knew it, they were both exchanging stories again, of their friends and loved ones. Julia shared stories of her father, of her friends, turned revolutionaries, of strange customers coming into her shop with outrageous requests and even more outrageous personalities. Magnus shared tales of the other guardians, and by the number of names, Julia was able to determine there were six others besides him. He didn’t go into great detail and kept some things vague, but she wasn’t going to pry. After all, the Stateran was full of secrets and any secret that required powerful monsters to protect it was probably too dangerous for any one person to know about.

It was a wonderful day for the two of them.

Again, she left. And again, she returned. Julia felt called back to the woods whenever there were times of peace in the chaotic city. And every time she went, there was Magnus with his ax in his hand and a smile on his face. Julia always found herself smiling back.

* * *

 

Usually, Magnus found her when she entered the forest, but one day she found him first. She found him sitting in a clearing, holding a lumpy wooden shape in one hand and a knife in the other. He was trying to carve it, but with the way he was holding it he was going to--

“Ow!” Magnus dropped the carving. He shook his hand out and sucked on the spot where he had just accidentally cut himself.

“Are you okay?” Julia asked as she approached.

Magnus pulled his hand out of his mouth, startled by her sudden appearance “Julia! Hey, welcome back. I’ll be fine, just a little cut is all.”

Julia nodded before turning her attention to the lumpy sculpture.

“What’s this? Some kind of…” She squinted and turned her head to the side “Horse?”

“No,” Magnus sighed “It’s supposed to be a duck.”

Julia shrugged “Well you’re trying but… Hmm… Hey, Magnus, pick me up?”

“Uh, okay.” Magnus set down the carving knife and very carefully lifted Julia up off of the ground. She reached out to his shoulder and he complied, placing her onto his left shoulder and remaining still so she could steady herself where she sat.

“My father is a carpenter,” Julia said “So I know a thing or two about wood carving. If you want I can give you some pointers?”

“That would be great! Thank you.” Magnus said with a grin as he picked up his knife and a new uncarved piece of wood, ready to try again.

“First thing’s first, you’re holding it all wrong. It’s why you cut yourself earlier. Try holding it like this--”

By the end of Julia’s lesson, Magnus had made a passing duck. It was very simple, with very few details. The eyes weren’t lined up properly and the beak was crooked, but Julia thought it looked cute.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s the best I can do,” Magnus said giving her a shy smile. Almost as if he was embarrassed by it.

Julia giggled and patted the side of his head “That’s why it’s perfect though. Your skill will only get better too, but only if you keep practicing. Okay?”

Magnus smiled for real and leaned his head a little into her touch “Okay.”

* * *

 

“You’re really easy to sniff out,” Magnus had said one day while they were sitting together. He was laying on his stomach in the grass while Julia sat next to him in the grass. “You smell like metal and wood shavings with a hint of lavender.”

Julia laughed and pushed at him, “Yeah, well your breath smells like honey. What’s up with that?”

“I’m a bear. I have to do bear things. It’s in the rulebook.”

“There’s no rulebook for bears.”

“Yes, absolutely, it is definitely a thing.”

“How did you even get the honey? Did you literally hunt down a beehive just for the sake of a joke?”

“Of course I would,” Magus snickered. “You’ve known me for almost half a year now, you should know me enough to know that I’d do anything for the sake of a good joke.”

Julia smiled and shook her head. “Well, at least you have thick fur so you didn’t have to worry about bee stings, right?”

“Uh… Not unless if they’re like… The size of a small dog. Then it would be a problem.”

“That was strangely specific. Magnus, does this forest have bees that big?”

“How else would I get that much honey? Big bees make lots of honey.”

Julia stared at him. “Are you going to be okay?”

Magnus smirked and rolled over onto his back, draping an arm over his eyes in a dramatic fashion “No, I’m dying. One of them stung me on the nose and it’s been hurting all day. This is how I die, Julia.”

Julia stood up and walked over to his face. She decided to play along, “Is there anything I can do to save you from such a grisly fate?” She asked with a goofy grin.

Magnus giggled, moving his arm so he could look at her, and said: “Kiss it to make it better.” He had said it as a joke, obviously, but Julia had been a little surprised by it. Magnus must have noticed because he said “I-I mean, sorry, I’m just kidding--”

“Magnus?” Julia asked, making him pause before he could start rambling.

“Uh, yeah?” His face was still low enough to the ground for Julia to reach. She had to stand on her tiptoes a little bit, but she was able to give him a quick peck on the nose. She found herself holding her breath when Magnus tensed up and his fur stood on edge.

“How’s that? Better?” She smiled up at him, taking a tiny step back and allowing herself to breathe again.

Magnus was silent for ten whole seconds before he laid back down on the ground completely unwinding with a satisfied “Yeah…”

Julia sat back down as well, leaning against his shoulder “That’s good, now, what exactly was going through your head that made you think taking on a giant beehive was a good idea?”

“Absolutely nothing, except for the fact that it was going to be a really good joke. And would you look at that? I was right!”

“You’re a dork,” Julia laughed, lightly pushing him “I should kick your butt for being so dumb.”

“I’d like to see you try, I’m indestructible.”

She punched him.

“Ohhh ow!” It was obvious he was exaggerating “How could you, Jules? First a kiss and now this? Whyyy!”

“I thought you were indestructible?” Julia asked with an amused smirk.

“Tiny fists are my one weakness.”

Julia stuck her tongue out at him and he stuck his out in return. They both laughed.

* * *

 

Julia limped into the forest, cursing her sprained ankle for making her so slow. The most recent battle against Kalen had been a nasty one. Their medic said she had gotten lucky with only a sprained ankle and minor concussion. She’d recovered from the latter a few days ago, but still had a big bump on the back of her head that ached.

Despite her condition, she was determined to get the job done. She’d come back to the Stateran to collect metals for new swords. She couldn’t just take a break from her duties because of her injuries. She was the leader, and therefore certain responsibilities fell on her. Sure, leadership positions usually had a person sitting and planning, pouring over maps and information, giving people orders and making sure resources were being distributed properly. She did do that, and since the rebellion started growing, she found herself spending less time at the forge and more time in strategy meetings in dusty dimly lit rooms.

In Ravens Roost, she wore a mask and went by fake names; she was the leader of the rebellion, a hero for the common people, the only one brave enough to openly mock Kalen and challenge his authority. In the Stateran, she could be Julia; daughter of one of the best carpenters in Faerun, a skilled blacksmith, the girl with frizzy hair that liked to read books of heroism and dream of the impossible, the girl who wound up gaining the trust of a huge bear monster.

That trust is why she had to be there to gather materials herself. The idea of sending anyone else just felt wrong to her. As silly as it sounded, the Stateran had become a sanctuary for her and sending anyone else to see Magnus almost felt like a betrayal to her.

So there she was, limping through the woods with a bad leg and bandages on her head. The ground shook in a way that had become familiar to her and she stopped walking.

“Hey, Julia - Oh dear gods!” Magnus’ smile vanished the minute he saw her. He took a few nervous steps forward and reached out, but quickly pulled his hands back as if almost afraid to touch her. “Julia, holy shit, are you okay?!”

“I am now,” Julia muttered under her breath before turning fully to face him. “Yeah, I’ll live. Thought some fresh air would be better for me than my stuffy bedroom, and a supply run for metals would be better for the rebellion than sitting around with sucky weapons.”

“A supply run like this? Julia, I don’t think that’s healthy. Are you limping? Nope, nuh-uh, no walking for you.” Magnus scooped her up and cradled her with one arm. Julia didn’t protest and was slightly grateful to be off her feet. She cuddled against the mass of fur and allowed herself to relax a little. “I know a place to get some raw ores, and I’ll carry it all back to your cart for you. You just rest.”

“It’s just a sprained ankle, Mags. It’s not like I’m dying,” She said it to downplay how serious it seemed, but it only seemed to distress Magnus more.

“Please don’t say something like that. I don’t know what I’d do without you coming around anymore.” It was hard to see from where she was lying, but she could tell Magnus’ ears were pinned back as he spoke.

“You still have a family, still have your duties as a Guardian, so you’d get on with your life. Not too different from before you met me.” Julia shrugged and rested her head against his arm, “Stuff like that.”

“But I’d be doing all that stuff in a world without you! And I’d miss all the stuff we do together. I like hearing your stories. I like your wood carving lessons. I like it when we laugh together. I… _Like_ you, Julia. A lot. And if I’m being honest I think meeting you has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He was speaking softly and sincere. It was like the whole forest had fallen into silence around them, the only noise being Magnus’ footsteps, and even those didn’t seem as loud as they usually were. She could feel his heart beat faster like a large drum. Was he nervous? Scared? Did the thought of losing her matter that much to him?

“Magnus,” Her voice was soft, but she knew he could hear her. “Does my presence really matter that much to you?”

There was a beat of silence before he said “Yeah.”

“Why?” She was more curious than confused. Curious to see what this big-hearted monster saw in her that made him so upset by the idea of her death.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, I really do. But I’ve been living the same life for almost one hundred years. Seeing the same people, doing the same things, walking the same roads, over and over again and after a while it gets… Boring. But you’re different, you’re new, you’re exciting, you’re just so amazing.”

Julia chuckled and idly ran her fingers through his fur, “You’ll get bored of me eventually.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Magnus paused beneath a huge tree, he leaned his back against the trunk and gently shifted Julia to look down at her with an expression she couldn’t exactly place. “I honestly think we could spend an eternity together and I’d never get tired of hanging out with you.” He smiled, and Julia couldn’t help but smile back.

She felt the same way. There was just something about Magnus’ personality that drew her in, it wasn’t what he was that kept bringing her back, it was who he was. Everything about him was so big but he was always so careful and considerate. Has he ever treated anyone else like this? Has he ever looked at anyone else like this? Or was this all exclusive to her? Magnus said he’d only known the same people for going on a hundred years, so yes. Out of all the people who’ve entered the forest over the course of a century, he chose her to befriend.

Magnus asked, “Why do you talk about dying like it’s no big deal? Is something wrong, Jules?”

Julia shook her head. “No, it’s just… I’ve kind of accepted the fact that if I die, then I die. I’m leading a Rebellion against a madman. I managed to live through the whole fiasco that left me with this bad ankle, but I could have lost my life. You’re a fighter, Magnus, you know just as well as I do that every battle one goes into they’re putting their life on the line.” She sighed and rested her head against him. “It’s not that I want to die. I’ve accepted my own mortality, I know the risk I’m taking and I’m willing to take it.”

Magnus fell silent, thinking about her words. They stood under the tree together in silence. Small sunbeams cut through the canopy of leaves and covered the area with warm spotlights and the lush wild green grass was all around them swayed in the gentle breeze. It was the calmest Julia had ever seen the forest.

Magnus lifted her up in both hands so they were more eye level.

“If Kalen ever got his hands on you, he’d kill you.” He stated with a sad look in his eyes.

Julia nodded.

Next thing she knew, Magnus had brought her close and was nuzzling her. _“Please,_ don’t give him the chance.” He whispered.

Julia’s heart was drumming fast and she felt her face heat up. He really cared about her, didn’t he? She tried to imagine their roles swapped and asked herself if she would feel the same way. If Magnus had been throwing himself into danger for something important, and Julia was stuck here, waiting for no - praying for him to come back safely. Would she ask the same of him? Would she be as worried?

Yes, she would.

She wrapped her arms around his muzzle in a hug and responded: “I promise.”

That seemed to comfort Magnus a little and he relaxed.

“And Mags?”

“Yeah, Jules?”

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead “I _like_ you a lot too.”

* * *

 

It had taken one year for the two of them to come to realize how well they fit together.

One year after their first meeting, Julia found herself sitting in a cafe in Raven’s Roost with a warm cup of coffee in her hands. She had a small red notebook sitting open next to her that she was writing in with a soft smile on her face. Unlike all of her other notebooks dedicated to careful planning and lists upon lists of to-do’s, this one was filled with doodles and written down moments she wanted to remember, like a journal of sorts. A book of special moments that made her happy. She was writing down a joke Magnus had told her that made her snort loudly when she’d first heard it.

Most of the entries were about him.

One year after their first meeting, Magnus found himself lying in bed. His eyes glazed over as he got lost in a string of possibilities and worries. There were so many possible futures that could occur as a result of them being together, some more painful than others. He wasn’t looking for a specific outcome, but rather for reassurance. He wanted to tell her everything, or at least everything he could get out without Fisher’s weird static. However, he was afraid of what she would think. He was worried what she would think of him after learning his story. He wanted to try to see ahead in order to learn her reaction beforehand. No luck though, much to his disappointment. Sometimes he wondered what the use of seeing the future was if he couldn’t entirely see what he wanted to.

The only thing that brought him comfort was the futures he could see where they were together and happy.

In the span of a year, they’d both fallen in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the next chapter is going to be the last one.
> 
> Forgot to post this for the first chapter. The black figure is a 6 ft tall person. The pink figure with a J on it is Julia. And of course Mag, is Mag (except he doesnt have his little red scarf yet).
> 
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> 
>  


	3. An Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All good things must come to an end.

Magnus sighed when he heard the sound of the twins scrambling behind his house as he exited his humble abode. The two of them had gotten wind of him having some sort of secret a while ago, and they hadn’t given up trying to find out what it was. They already tried to pry the answer from him with “diplomacy” by trying to annoy the truth out of him. Lup tried to bribe him for his secret with cookies just the other day but Magnus had refused after shoving as many cookies as he could into his mouth. Taako tried to convince Merle to cast Zone of Truth, at first it seemed like he was actually contemplating doing it, but then told Taako to mind his own business and let Magnus have his privacy. Magnus repaid this kindness by not using any of Merle’s favorite tree friends as back scratchers.

“Go away, guys!” Magnus shouted, turning around just in time to see the pink and blue blurs of his friends dart away.

No matter where he went in the camp, sure enough, one of the twins were there trying to observe him for any clues. While he was eating breakfast, there was Taako. While he was brushing his fur, Lup was hiding just out of sight. While he was putting the finishing touches on his newest duck, he heard rustling above him in the trees. Without missing a beat, Magnus picked up a rock and threw it upwards, hitting the branch they were perched on, and successfully knocked both twins down.

“Can’t you guys just leave me alone?” He asked with a frown.

“We could…” Taako started.

“But we won’t.” Lup finished.

“Unless…” They both voiced and Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Fuck this, I’m going somewhere I know I can be alone.” With that, Magnus took his duck and his carving knife, got up, and left camp.

A short while later he found himself sitting in Fisher’s cave; said voidfish was playing with Magnus’ new duck on the other side of the pond. He had taken up carving to give Fisher something to entertain themselves with when they were younger since they had gotten into the habit of wanting to eat when they were bored and the group just couldn’t keep up. It wasn’t until Fisher almost ate a history book that Magnus decided to find a way to keep them entertained. He remembered the toy boats he used to play with as a kid, and so took to carving Fisher toys to play with. It wasn’t until he started taking lessons from Julia that his sculptures started to actually look good in his opinion.

He was looking at his reflection on the water’s surface and fussing with his appearance. He licked his palm and ran it through the hair on his head, slicking it back in a nice fashion. After a moment, Magnus frowned, shook his head, and messed up his hair again.

After a few more attempts at trying to make himself look presentable a tentacle appeared and splashed the water; not to get him wet, but to pull his attention away from his reflection.

Fisher chimed curiously and Magnus sighed through his nose.

“Today’s the day, buddy. I’m gonna tell her this time! I’m not gonna chicken out.” 

Fisher chimed in a way Magnus recognized as doubt.

“I will! Today when I meet her at our usual spot, I’m going to sit her down and go -- I’m gonna say, Jules, we’ve been seeing each other for some time now and I think you should know -- No -- You have the  _ right _ to know that I’m not actually… This is hard.” He scratched the back of his head, “And it’s going to be harder talking around the static.”

Fisher chimed again and splashed the water.

“No, I know I could just give her some but… Well, the others don’t even know about her yet. Plus, what if, when I tell her what’s really going on with me she doesn’t want to come back anymore? I don’t want to inoculate her and teach her things about the world she never even wanted to know. I don’t want to go behind the other’s backs and inoculate her without them knowing first.” Magnus clicked his claws together nervously, a habit he’d had for as long as he could remember. A habit he had when those claws were nails that he would pick and bite at.

For a minute, while he sat there fidgeting with his hands, he didn’t see the furry paws he’d grown used to over his years as a Guardian. Rather, he saw a pair of heavy thick human hands, callused and rough and strong, but not strong enough. Not strong like now. But at what cost?

He looked at his reflection again. When he had first transformed, it was startling to see a different face looking back at him. The face of a monster, instead of a man. But he was still him, he was still Magnus. The fact that he’s lived almost one-hundred years like this was mind-blowing to him; that he had spent more time as a monster then a human was bizarre. He had almost forgotten what it was like not being covered in fur.

Julia helped to remind him that he wasn’t always like this. Before, he was Magnus Burnsides, a skilled fighter from a small humble town, the guy who would walk down the street and try to pet every dog he saw. He wasn’t that Magnus anymore. He was one of seven monstrous guardians of the Stateran, a hulking wild beast that scratches and roars and bites, with claws like razors and teeth like knives, it was no wonder people screamed and ran.

It hurt, at first, but after a while, he stopped caring what they thought. If he was alone in this burden, he would have gone insane. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone.

For the longest time, he thought all he needed was his family but then he met Julia, and the idea of a life without her made his heart ache.

“Who am I kidding?” He put his face in his hands, “This will never work out.”

Fisher chimed and rested a tentacle on his leg.

“This will never work out,” He repeated, “Because I’m this and she’s--yeah. And I’m going to be here forever meanwhile she’s… No, nope, not going to think about that. But I want her in my life! Is that dumb? Is that selfish to want someone as amazing as her to stay? Wouldn’t she be more happy with a guy who’s, you know,  _ not _ a bear?”

Fisher chimed again and tried to comfort him with a gentle pat.

“... I could always change back…” He thought out loud and Fisher made an unsure noise, “I could go back to being human. It’d be easy I could just… I could just disconnect myself from the Light. I could go the Ravens Roost and help Julia, and be there with her -- for her. But that would make the Light’s signal stronger, and more people would come to the forest. With one less monster around, the others could be overrun. They can’t take heavy hits like I do, they’re not as durable. I don’t want to straight up abandon them. Gah, this is stupid!”

Magnus got to his feet, and Fisher jingled a song at him.

“I’m just going to tell her, and let her decide if we should keep going with this. This isn’t going to be some stupid her-or-them decision. I’m going to communicate and pray things go well.” He took a deep breath and looked down at Fisher who was still holding onto the wooden duck, “Thanks for the talk Fisher, I really needed to get that stuff off my chest.”

The voidfish chimed and offered the duck back to him.

“Nah, you can keep it. I can always make another to show Julia.” Magnus waved with an unsure smile, “That is if things go well.”

* * *

 

Magnus and Julia sat underneath a large tree. They whispered to each other in hushed voices, their conversation interrupted by the occasional giggle. They were waiting for a family of birds that usually showed up around that time, Julia loved their songs and feathers. Magnus wished he could make a carving of one for her. He had tried, but it came out lumpy and ugly. Maybe if he really practiced he could give one to her for her birthday.

“Where are they?” Julia whispered looking around confused. “Usually we could hear their songs by now.”

“I don’t know,” Magnus kept himself from shrugging, so as to not knock Julia off of his shoulder “It’s okay though. I don’t need those birds, I already have a pretty dove on my shoulder.”

Julia laughed and kissed him on the cheek “You’re a big sweet dork.”

“Yes but I’m your big sweet dork,” Magnus said, nuzzling her gently.

Their sweet moment was interrupted by the sound of branches rustling and a familiar lilting voice screaming from overhead.

“Oh, my  _ GODS. _ ”

Magnus gasped and looked up at the branches, realizing why the birds hadn’t come along. His surprise quickly turned to anger. “TAAKO, YOU ASSHOLE!”

Another similar voice started laughing hysterically.

“I SWEAR TO ISTUS I AM GOING TO MURDER THE BOTH OF YOU!” Magnus’ ears were pinned back, he was horribly embarrassed and upset that his privacy was being invaded like this. Then again, he should have expected something like this.

He heard Julia softly but with feeling mutter “What the fuck.” As she looked up to the two bizarre creatures laughing in the branches.

“Maggie’s got it bad~!” Taako sing-songed with a smug grin. Lup was still cackling. Taako hooked his legs around the branch and hung upside down, one hand holding onto his hat, so he could get closer to Julia. Magnus pulled away a little so Taako wasn’t in her personal space; he knew Taako liked ignoring it.

“Hey you, what’s your name?”

“... Julia?” She replied hesitantly.

“Great,” Taako cleared his throat “MAGNUS AND JULIA SITTING IN A TREE--!”

Magnus swatted at him, but Taako was too quick and pulled himself back up onto the branch.

“I am going to climb up there and tie your tails together!” He growled through bared teeth.

“H-How are you gonna climb up here with your girlfriend on your shoulder?” Lup wheezed through her laughter.

Magnus stood up and kicked the tree. Taako was able to hang on, but Lup hadn't been focussing on her balance and fell to the ground.

“Magnus?” Julia’s voice brought his attention back to her, “Who are they?”

Magnus sighed.

“He’s Taako,” Lup said as she got up off of the ground, finally calming down from her laughing fit.

“She’s Lup,” Taako said while climbing down from his perch to stand next to his twin.

“And together, they’re trouble.” Magnus groaned.

“Oh, these are some of those friends of yours,” Julia said in realization.

“Not anymore,” Magnus growled. He wasn’t being serious, but he was definitely going to get back at them for this.

“Oooh, he talks about us? What’s he say?” Taako asked and Lup huddled in close, wide smiles on their faces.

“Not a whole lot,” Julia shrugged “But he has told me you’re the ones responsible for all the weird things going on around here.”

“Gee Maggie, outing us as the local cryptids, huh?” Taako asked, turning his mismatched gaze to his friend.

“And when were you planning on formally introducing us, mister?” Lup poked him in the chest.

“Yeah, isn’t introducing the gal to the family like step one?”

Magnus put his face in hands, “This is a nightmare, Julia I’m so sorry.” He lowered his claws enough to glare daggers at the twins. “This? This right here? This is why I didn’t introduce you.”

“Magnus!” Lup gasped.

“We’re wounded.” Taako followed up. He ducked quickly avoiding Magnus’ swiping hand.

“You’re going to be!” Magnus looked about ready to charge them but was stopped when Julia patted him.

“Hey, it’s okay Magnus.”

He exhaled slowly through his nose “I should have seen this coming.”

“Looks like your future vision failed you today, Mags,” Taako said with a smug look.

“Wait, what?” Julia asked and Magnus tensed up a little bit. Uh oh.

“You didn’t even tell her about your powers?”

“How much have you been filled in on, sweetheart?” Taako picked up a stick and turned it into a nail file with his magic, filing his pointy nails a little and pretending to be uninterested.

Julia looked up at Magnus with a quizzical look and Magnus knew the conversation he’d been avoiding was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

“I-I was working up to it…” He said sheepishly.

“Working up to what, Magnus?” Her tone made him flinch a little.

“Hoo boy this could get awkward, huh?” Lup asked and took a second nail file that Taako had transmuted and handed to her.

Magnus would have loved nothing more then to disappear at that moment, but unfortunately, he couldn’t teleport, and even if he could he probably wouldn’t because then Julia would fall. He’d been wanting to tell her the truth at the right time, but it seemed like the time was now and Magnus wasn’t ready.

He offered his hand to Julia, and she shifted to sit in his palm. He carefully held her with both hands before turning his attention to Taako and Lup.

“Listen. are you guys gonna be on my side about this? You know Davenport might not like it.”

The twins looked up from doing each other’s nails, where they got the nail polish he had no idea.

“... Yeah, Magnus, we'll be with you if he gives you trouble about it.” Lup replied.

Taako clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes “Oh fine, I guess we can help.”

“Good because you're the ones who pushed this in the first place.”

“Okay, can someone tell me what you guys are talking about because this is getting annoying.” Julia crossed her arms and looked between the three of them.

"Right, right, sorry," He sighed and turned his attention back to her, "I've been wanting to talk to you about this stuff but I'll be honest I've been chickening out. I haven't been lying just kind of keeping a few things vague. And the whole story is kind of long and weird. Uh, hoo boy where do I start?"

"How about you start with the fact you used to be--" Taako called over only to be interrupted when Lup covered his mouth.

"Let him say it!"

"Used to be what, Magnus?" Julia’s eyebrows furrowed.

Magnus’ throat felt dry but he managed to wrestle out what he had to say. "I, uh, I used to be human..."

There was a long moment of silence. Julia opened her mouth to speak, but Magnus quickly found himself spilling everything.

"My full name's Magnus Burnsides, I was a member of a research team studying something I physically can't tell you about but that's what we're protecting and in order to keep it safe and stop a lot of horrible things from happening, we turned ourselves into...Well, this." He waved vaguely at himself and the twins. Then he gave her a nervous look. "You heard all of that okay right? No static?" 

"Static?" 

"Like this: The Light of Creation caused a bunch of wars-" 

"How are you  _ making _ that noise?" 

"There you go." 

"Taako please don't help." 

"Can do."

"Along with our new bodies, we also got powers. I can see into the future sometimes and maybe travel through time but that’s a bad idea on a lot of levels. So I keep from doing that… I'm sorry I hid all that from you but I was kind of scared about how you'd react."

The truth was out, no turning back now. Julia’s prolonged silence made Magnus’ heart beat harder. He felt like he had to say something, but his mind was drawing a blank.

She motioned for him to get closer, looking as if she had something important to say Magnus complied and brought her closer. He was expecting she was going to yell, or feel betrayed, or get upset that he didn’t trust her with this sooner. Instead, he felt the lightest peck on his nose, followed by the sound of Taako and Lup giggling like school kids in the background.

Realizing that Julia just kissed him, Magnus felt himself blushing under his fur.

“So, you’re not mad?”

“No. I trust you, Mags. This was clearly very hard for you to talk about, and I’m glad you’ve shared it with me.”

Magnus felt his heart flutter and the weight on his shoulders lifted.

“Those two were right about one thing though.” She said, causing Magnus to raise an eyebrow.

“What?”

“If the others really are like family to you, shouldn't I at least meet them?”

Magnus’ eyes widened and then grinned “Oh, uh I'd... Have to check with Davenport on that. I’m fine with it! But he’s kind of the leader so...”

“I totally understand.”

“Well now that that’s done,” Taako popped up over Magnus’ shoulder sporting a new manicure, “How about you tell us more about yourself.”

“Yeah,” Lup tilted her head to the side “We’re dying to learn about the girl Mags has fallen head over heels for.”

Julia giggled at Magnus’ flustered look and turned her attention to the twins, “Well alright…”

The talk with the twins lasted till dusk, they talked about how they met, how Magnus had been helping Julia, occasionally one of the twins would interject with a remark or question. When it came time for Julia to leave, all three Guardians escorted her to the forest’s edge. Magnus fussed a little because it had gotten so late, but Julia insisted she would be fine traveling at night and left.

The whole way back to camp, the twins wouldn’t let him hear the end of it.

* * *

 

Julia’s meeting the others went smoother than anyone could have expected. Much to Magnus’ delight, she seemed to get along well with the remaining four Guardians she had yet to be introduced to. Of course, they all did their best to embarrass him by telling stories. Especially Merle, who gossiped with the trees often and knew things Magnus did when nobody was around. That obviously led to Merle getting a painful noogie.

He even introduced her to Fisher, who was so excited to meet the woman Magnus had been talking to them about for so long. They showed her their vast collection of ducks Magnus had carved for them, each of which Julia admired and complimented each and every one.

Magnus was hoping her newfound friendship with the Guardians of the Stateran would encourage her to come visit more. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. In the following months, Governor Kalen would put even more pressure on the rebels and anyone trying to leave the city.

“Please, be careful Julia.” Magnus had said one day after having not seen her for almost three weeks. “I don’t know what’d I’d do if you got caught.”

“Don’t worry Mags. I’m more than careful enough.” She smiled up at him; a sight that made him smile back instantly. “Did you ask Lup about that pie recipe? I’ve been wanting to make it for my dad. He loves blueberries.”

“Huh? Oh yeah. She wrote it down for you. I put it right there.” Magnus pointed at the piece of paper that Lup had shrunken to the proper scale for Julia to read. He had tucked it carefully among the supplies loaded onto her little cart, to make sure it wouldn’t blow away.

“Great. I can’t wait to make it when I get some downtime. Running a rebellion doesn’t leave a lot of time for baking.” Julia said while she combed her fingers through her hair.

“I can imagine…” They both fell silent for a moment before Magnus spoke. “I wish I could do more for you; I wish I could actually help you fight.”

“Oh, Maggie.” Julia walked up to him and patted his knee. “It’s alright, you do so much for me and the others already. I’d say you’re one of our most important members.”

Magnus reached down to gently scoop her up, a soft smile on his face. “I’m a member? Didn’t you say people who wanted to join up had to go through a test or something?”

“After helping us for so long, it’s only fair that you get to be a top-secret member. Also, you’re my teddy bear, so of course you’re a member because I say so.”

Magnus laughed and nuzzled her. “Alright, if you say so, dove.”

“It also means that if the rebellion fails, it’ll never die, because you’ll still be around. As long as one member survives, the cause will survive. That’s my belief anyway.” 

“It’s not going to fail, as long as it has you leading it. You’re amazing, Jules.”

“I’m amazing? You’re amazing! Look at you! You’re a guy who’s turned himself into a giant bear monster and scares the crap out of people! If that isn’t amazing, I don’t know what is.”

They worked to finish prepping Julia’s wagon for travel back to the city. Once that was done, Magnus saw her to the forest’s exit.

“Love you. Stay safe, okay?”

“Love you too. Don’t worry, we’ve got Kalen on the ropes. There’s no way he could stop us now.”

It wasn’t until Julia was out of sight that Magnus returned to the deeper parts of the forest, keeping her smiling face in his mind’s eye the whole way home.

* * *

 

A week passed with no word from her.

Then two weeks.

Then a month.

Something was wrong, something had to be wrong. Magnus could feel it in his gut, a churning lump of dread in his belly that steadily grew with each passing day. The others tried to help him take his mind off it, but it kept coming back to haunt him whenever he was given a moment to think. He was so scared.

Magnus had started taking detours on his daily patrols to their usual meeting spot. Every day he would pray that she’d be standing there with her little wagon and a smile on her face ready to tease him for being so worried. Julia could take care of herself, he knew this, but still, he couldn’t help but worry.

When something finally appeared in the little clearing, it wasn’t what he’d been hoping for.

Magnus had been walking towards the clearing when suddenly he caught a smell on the wind. Smoke and a fainter smell of blood. Before he knew it, he was sprinting through the forest towards the clearing.

It wasn’t long before Magnus found himself at his destination and froze.

There was Julia’s wagon, broken and burning. Around the wagon were what appeared to be several dead bodies. Breath picking up, Magnus rushed over to make sure Julia wasn’t one of them. They were all well armed and dressed in protective leather armor. Magnus counted five bodies, all in the same uniform; meaning they all belonged to a group of some kind. All of them seemed to have died from combat wounds. He carefully turned one over with a claw to investigate further. There was some sort of symbol branded into the leather, and upon closer inspection, he was able to identify what it was. It was Governor Kalen’s emblem. These were Kalen’s men.

The implications of this made Magnus’ blood turn cold.

He turned to Julia’s cart and quickly dug up handfuls of dirt to throw on the fire before it spread. There was nothing in the wagon, aside from a large red cloth that luckily was only slightly burnt. Carefully, he picked it up and unfolded it revealing the design of a stylized raven with arrows in its talons. This was a flag, a flag that Julia told Magnus she would mount at every rebel victory.

But why was it here? Why were any of these soldiers here? Where was Julia?

Magnus wasn’t thinking straight. His hands were shaking as he hugged the flag to his chest.

“Julia?!” He called as his eyes scanned the field. “JULIA?!” He stepped forward but instantly recoiled when he stepped on a patch of damp grass that was wet with blood. Gods, there was so much blood.

_ “If Kalen ever got his hands on you, he’d kill you.” _

Did Kalen catch on? Did he send his men after her?

_ “It’s not that I want to die. I’ve accepted my own mortality, I know the risk I’m taking and I’m willing to take it.” _

Julia wouldn’t have gone down without a fight, evidenced by the bodies. Why hadn’t he heard anything? Had Julia tried calling out to him only for him to fail to appear when she needed him most? Magnus had promised her that the Stateran would be safe for her.

He couldn’t hear or smell her, Julia wasn’t anywhere nearby. She would never have left her wagon, let alone her flag. She’d never brought it to the forest before though, why now?

_ “As long as one member survives, the cause will survive. That’s my belief anyway.” _

Did something happen in Raven’s Roost? Did the rebellion fall? Did Julia risk her life to come see him one last time? Did she lose her life? There were too many questions with no answers, and Magnus was too distraught to think clearly. He only knew three things:

She had been outnumbered.

She had been alone.

She was gone.

_ Julia _ was  _ Gone. _

Magnus fell to his knees as if the thought was a heavy weight on his back. Upon dropping to the ground he saw evidence of the dirt having been greatly disturbed by boots and horse hooves, all of them leaving the clearing. They must have taken her back to Raven’s Roost, of course, to shatter the people’s hopes with the sight of the fallen rebel leader. Magnus was never going to see her again. He felt his heart break to pieces and tears well in his eyes. Rage, sadness, and confusion swirled in his gut and made him want to vomit. He wanted to scream, so he did.

The resulting roar was deafening. 

People would talk for miles around of the horrible sound they heard that day like some terrible monster was struck a fatal blow. It was a sad sound, full of sorrow and regret.

Magnus held the flag close to his chest with one hand, the other digging claws into the dirt. He roared again and again, each one getting quieter until he could do nothing but hiccup and sob. 

Why hadn’t he seen this coming? Usually, his visions helped him prevent tragedies but nothing came to him. He’d failed her, he failed to protect her, he promised her. She was gone and there was nothing he could do--

_ You can do something. _

A voice in the back of his mind gently prodded.

_ You can change things. You have the power. You can save her. _

It would be so easy, wouldn’t it? He could just reach out and change it. It would be as easy as taking a scissor to a thread.

_ It wouldn’t take a lot of power. Just a little bit more than you’re used to. The others would hardly notice. You’d only be changing ten minutes. Only ten little minutes. Harmless. _

Something in the air around Magnus shifted and his fur stood on end. He was dipping into something he didn’t entirely understand, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to see Julia. And if he had to rip through time itself to keep his promise, he would.

_ Do it. _

Suddenly something slammed into his side, not strong enough to knock him down, but it definitely got his attention. Lup scrambled to his front, grabbed his face with both hands, and pulled down so they were eye level. She looked scared.

“Magnus! Magnus don’t listen. Whatever it’s telling you, ignore it. It won’t be worth it!” Lup said, making sure he kept his eyes locked on her.

Magnus blinked rapidly and took a deep breath as he came to his senses. “What-What was I… Just about to do?”

Lup smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. “You were about to make a real stupid mistake, Mags. You’re lucky I was the fastest at getting here. The others are on their way and… and....” She took a moment to turn her head side to side and take in the surrounding scene. “What the hell happened here?”

What remained of Magnus’ heart felt like it was being crushed and next thing he knew he was gently squeezing Lup in a much-needed hug. The action surprised her; he knew the twins weren’t the cuddliest of people but at that moment he needed to hold someone. 

“Julia’s gone,” He whispered. “She’s gone, I couldn’t save her, she’s gone.”

“Oh. Oh, Magnus. Oh no, I’m so sorry.” Lup returned the hug as best she could.

The others arrived not too long after, coming across a bloody scene with Magnus distraught and Lup doing her best to comfort him. It was hard to pry him away from the area, it wasn’t like any of them could pick him up and carry him home. Eventually, though, Lucretia was able to coax him away. She, Taako, and Davenport all lead him away, but as Barry and Merle were about to follow Lup stopped them but placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Hold up, fellas. There’s something I need you to help me with.” She said and turned to look at the bloody field.

* * *

 

Blood was cleaned with magic.

A grave was made with care.

Bodies were thrown to the wolves with anger.

* * *

 

The following weeks, Magnus didn’t do or talk much. He sat in his house distraught about Julia. Every once and awhile, one of his friends would come in with food and words of comfort. Sometimes there wouldn’t be words at all and they’d just sit in his room and do their own thing, but their intent to keep him company was clear. He never put down the flag, and for the longest time, he couldn’t even bring himself to carve. It was the saddest they had ever seen him, and they knew the Light’s whispers were becoming increasingly hard for him to fight off.

“What are we going to do?” Merle asked one night at the dinner table. Magnus’ chair was empty. “If this keeps going the way it’s going, something could happen.”

“There’s nothing we can do except be there for him,” Lucretia replied. “He was in love with her, Merle. Having a loved one die so suddenly and in such a violent way would shake anyone to their core.”

“Speaking of the big guy, I’m gonna go bring him his dinner.” Taako got up from his seat and put together a plate for Magnus before heading to the door. However, his path out the door was obstructed when he hit a furry wall. Surprised, he looked up and met Magnus’ unsure gaze. “Magnus! Finally decided to come out of your den, huh? Wanna come sit?”

He nodded and followed Taako inside to take his seat at the table, his left hand playing with a bright red cloth sticking out of his pocket the whole time.

"Is there anything you need?" Davenport asked from his seat.

Magnus looked down and muttered, "It's... Getting kind of loud and I don't trust myself with being alone."

"Alright," The smoke monster nodded thoughtfully.

"I bet we can be even louder!" Taako shouted suddenly.

"No please, Taako that's not necessary."

"What's that?! Sorry, I can't hear you!"

"Speak up!" Lup also shouted, her fingers crackling like sparklers.

"We were just having such a nice dinner, this isn't needed!"

The others proceeded to talk loudly and cause as much noise as they could. Lucretia drummed her fork against her glass, Merle broke out into song, Barry rattled his bones. Magnus knew what they were doing, and they knew he knew, and that just added to the insanity of it all. For the first time in weeks, he cracked a smile.

It would be the first step he took towards healing.

Months would pass and Magnus would slowly start showing signs of getting better. Of course, he wouldn’t heal completely. There would always be a hole in his heart where Julia’s presence filled it. Some days he’d never leave his house, other days he’d never leave the side of one of the others. He’d tear up at the mere reminder of her sometimes, and whoever was near would comfort him.

He’d start doing his patrols again.

He’d avoid the clearing for a long time.

It wouldn’t be until Spring that he’d feel the want to go visit their old meeting spot. Spring had been her favorite season, after all. He had been expecting to see an old burnt up wagon surrounded by long rotted bodies. What he did find was something much more beautiful.

The wagon was there, but it had been fixed and filled with soil. Growing from that soil were flowers of all kinds and colors, all of them in full bloom, ivy grew down the sides and tangled the wheels keeping the wagon in place. Everything was quiet and still, and Magnus slowly let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.

He carefully approached the wagon and sat down before it taking in the sight of it. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, but it was a while before he felt the need to speak.

“I’m sorry, Jules,” He said in a whisper. “I failed you.” 

He rubbed his eyes, stinging with fresh tears. “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, and I can’t take it back… I realize now though, that it’s not my fault.” He pulled the flag out of his pocket and held it open in his hands.

“This. All of this is Kalen’s fault. He’s a selfish and evil guy. He killed you because he wanted to keep his hold on the city. He sounds like the kind of guy who always wants more power.” Magnus’ gaze hardened, the idea of such a horrible person being allowed to live while someone so good as Julia wasn’t made his blood boil.

“He’ll come here. I know it. If he really wants more power, he’ll come to the Stateran.” Carefully, he folded the flag diagonally and brought it up to tie it around his neck. “And when he does, I’m going to rip him apart.”

The flag now hung around his neck like a bandana. It was never coming off.

“It’s only a matter of time.” With that, he got to his feet and walked out of the clearing, a new goal set for himself. He was going to kill Governor Kalen someday. That was a promise.

* * *

 

A few years later, when he’s woken up by visions of a scared little runaway boy in the forest all alone, he’ll think back to Julia.

Julia always liked kids, and he knew she’d probably haunt him if she found out he let a child in need of care die in his forest.

When he hears that little boy screaming for help he’ll act without hesitation.

Magnus will rush in.

For Julia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all SO much for reading this story! I hope you all enjoyed. This chapter really fought me and I hit a block at one point. But I'm so happy to complete this little tale. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Btw I post art of the Monster AU on my tumblr blog!  
> You can check out my tag here: <http://skippyin.tumblr.com/tagged/how-monsters-are-made>


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